The Chancellor announced yesterday that the North of Tyne devolution deal is to go ahead. Instead of a strong devolution deal for the North East, the three authorities north of the River Tyne - Northumberland, Newcastle and North Tyneside - are to break away to form their own mini fiefdom which will split the region and leave us all weakened in the face of stronger devolution deals elsewhere. I have heard on the grapevine in Gateshead what the deal contains - and what it doesn't. One of the crucial reasons for devolution - transport - is not to be devolved. There will be a few powers over training and housing, a modest pot of money for some economic development, and that is pretty much it. This is a shadow of what was previously on offer to the whole of NECA. It is a pathetic and miserable attempt by Labour and Tories north of the Tyne to rescue devolution from the car crash in which they left it in 2015.
While the deal may be appealing to the likes of the saintly Nick Forbes, Labour leader of Newcastle City Council, and his Conservative soulmate Peter Jackson, Leader of Northumberland County Council, it is the region as a whole that will pay the price of a divisive and weak settlement. The main culprits of this mess are the North East Labour Party that tore itself apart recently over devolution. Instead of aiming to get the regional deal back on track, Labour have helped turn the mess into a disaster.
What a shambles.
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